yoga. ramblings. style.

Menu

Tag Archives: scientific study

A new study out of Boston University Medical Center found that yoga can be a beneficial supplement or alternative to prescription medications for major depressive disorder.

If you practice yoga, you probably already know this, right?!! But it’s great to be backed up by a scientific study!

The study used Iyengar yoga for the study (my personal fave…yay!), as well as ujjayi breathing (it’s sometimes called “Darth Vader breath”, or “ocean breath”). Here is a great tutorial for ujjayi.

So, here’s the study in a nutshell…Two groups were studied for 12 weeks, a high-dose group (3 90-min. classes a week plus 4 30-min home practice sessions) and a low-dose group (2 90-min. classes a week plus 3 30-min home practice sessions). The study found that yoga and breathing practices showed a significant reduction in symptoms in both groups…with the high-dose group showing slightly better results.

If you have major depressive disorder, or are feeling depressed, speak with your doctor about integrating a yoga practice into your life. Science shows, it will make a difference!

Journal reference (click the link to read the study in all it’s scientific glory):